Broncos Host Gauchos Saturday

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THE GAME: Following a narrow defeat at the hands of No. 15/19 Michigan State Tuesday, the Boise State men&rsquo;s basketball team returns to Taco Bell Arena Saturday (Nov. 24) to host UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off between the Broncos (3-1) and Gauchos (2-2) is slated for 2 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY: The Broncos and Gauchos have each won five games in the all-time series. Former conference foes from 1996-2001, the teams are slated to renew the league rivalry next season when Boise State rejoins the Big West. The teams have met just once since the Broncos left the league, and Boise State posted a 78-76 overtime victory on the road, Feb. 19, 2011. The game was part of the annual BracketBusters series. Boise State is 3-1 all-time in home games, with the only loss coming Feb. 26, 2000 (54-50).

RADIO INFORMATION: Boise State&rsquo;s game will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network, with KBOI (670 AM) serving as the flagship station. The broadcast will also be streamed live at BroncoSports.com.

Play-by-Play: Bob Behler Analyst: Abe Jackson CONTINUING TO SCORE: Sophomore guard Derrick Marks, who ranked second in the Mountain West in freshman scoring last season (9.4 PPG), ranks third in the league in scoring this season at 18.0 PPG. Only Michael Lyons of Air Force (22.2 PPG) and Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State (19.0 PPG) have averaged more per game.

Anthony Drmic, who led all league freshman in scoring last season (12.0 PPG), ranks tied for 12th in scoring at 13.3 PPG in 2012-13. In games played through Nov. 22, Marks and Drmic were the highest-scoring sophomores in the league.

HIGH SCORING BRONCOS: Led by two of the league&rsquo;s top scorers in Derrick Marks and Anthony Drmic, Boise State ranks third amongst MW schools in scoring, averaging 75.5 points scored per game.

SHARING THE WEALTH: In addition to ranking in the Mountain West&rsquo;s top 15 in scoring, Derrick Marks (3.75) and Anthony Drmic (3.25) are also in the league&rsquo;s top 10 in assists - two of only five players in the league with those credentials: Marks, Drmic, Kendall Williams (UNM), Tony Snell (UNM) and Jamaal Franklin (SDSU).

THE GLUE GUY: Junior guard Jeff Elorriaga ranks third in the league in minutes played, averaging 33.50 per&nbsp; game. ROAD STRETCH: After opening the first three games of the season at home, the game against the Gauchos will be the only game at Taco Bell Arena in a three-week stretch that sees the Broncos play at No. 14/12 Creighton (Nov. 28), at Seattle (Dec. 2) and at Utah (Dec. 5). Boise State&rsquo;s next home game will be against LSU, Dec. 14 (7 p.m.).

RECORD VS CONFERENCE: Slated to rejoin the Big West Conference for the 2013-14 season, Boise State was 44-36 during its five previous seasons in the league (1996-2001). Against teams currently in the league, Boise State has posted a record of 57-41.